mario desa

i see where you're coming from, but your argument (or observation) kind of assumes that 99% of the population has an "easy" life while, those with hardship (divorce, death, etc.) got involved with tattoos. i think that's a horrible assumption. life is hard, period. for EVERYONE. most people deal with addiction, disease, death, divorce, violence, poverty, etc., etc., etc. that's just life. life is hard in general, no matter who you are or where you come from. i know lots of people who had amazing childhoods and steady households and became heavily tattooed. a lot of times, it has to do with 100% confidence/satisfaction in yourself and who you are. i know i've always been a very visual person, since i can remember, and pictures and icons have always just attracted me. there's no "us" vs. "them" in this, we're all human, so we all have shit to deal with. which goes into the other part of your post...tattooing is universal in human history. we might not have a super recent or super direct tattoo rite, but we all have it, just being human and having all evolved and spread all over this earth from the same original group of homosapiens. it's why tattoo imagery is popular on clothing or anything else, the icons are universal human emotion. one of the things i love about tattoos is that life is all there...love hate death beauty violence. it's really not that mysterious homie!

i had a great time, man. it was great to meet all of you and work with you guys. see you in october!

i made a little film of my trip to london. thanks to everyone at frith st. tattoo! i had an amazing time.

man, that's cool.

WOW. this is great! it's awesome that you have this after all these years. i wish i had my first machines...a set of spaulding pumas. i do have a couple of frames that were my second liner and second shader. thanks for sharing!

jon is one of my best friends! awesome!

go to business school instead.

oops, sorry...here it is... http://www.facebook.com/v/1668042256955

Here's a little compilation of my co-worker Mike Dalton pontificating in a bar.... http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1668042256955"